Helen Hunt will always be my 1990s sitcom queen. I adored Mad About You, Jamie and Paul Buchman, and that too-perfect NYC apartment. Helen won the leading actress Oscar for 1997’s As Good As It Gets, and she attempted to build upon the big win after her show wrapped. Helen kept working steadily, but she never landed another huge role. She tells HuffPo that part of the problem was waiting out Mad‘s last few years before trying to ride the Oscar. She also has a slightly different take on aging in Hollywood. Helen believes the real problem is that well-written roles for women are scarce, so it’s not just an age thing.
Helen took matters into her own hands after her Oscar. She’s currently promoting her new film, Ride, which she wrote, directed, and in which she stars. Her character is a mother learning to surf in order to rebuild a bond with a teenage son. The journo tries to steer the conversation into aging, probably because Helen is 52. Helen simply says that surfing keeps her feeling young. She’s surfed for 10 years and started after age 40! Some excerpts:
Hollywood downswings aren’t about age: “What are the great movies for younger women where they’re the protagonist [being] made now? You know what I mean? The whole thing — there’s no equal rights amendment. We’re f***ed. So starting with that premise, we push the giant rock up the hill. That’s my theory.”
The constant objectification of women: “I certainly drive around and I’m tired of the billboard where she’s barely in her underwear and they’re selling, you know, a watch or something. I’m over it, to be honest.”
Learning to surf after age 40: “I always wanted to. You live in L.A., drive by the beach, and say ‘I want to do that!’ And I thought ‘Well, it’s getting late — I better do it.'”
The career impact of an Oscar: “It changes the offers you get for like three months. So you’d better be on it, which I wasn’t. In the long run, it’s the work you make now that matters.
Helen also talks about her recent role as a sexual surrogate in The Sessions. I remember watching the internet have a field day with Helen’s nudity in the film, which she says looked at sexuality “honestly and without a lot of winks and jokes and creepiness.”
I think Helen makes an interesting point. Actresses tend to lament their career downslides after age 40, but they don’t usually speak up until they are personally affected. The real problem is that most roles for women are superficially written, and looking at the bigger picture may help Hollywood solve the problem.
Photos courtesy of WENN
I’d say another reason she’s not getting work in H-town is that she, you know, looks like a 50 year old woman. She hasn’t botoxed herself into oblivion. It reminds me of when I saw Lisa Kudrow on Scandal a few years back. My first thought, was “Wow, she looks rough.” Then I checked myself and realized that she looks normal, we’re just not used to seeing in onscreen.
goodness I love Lisa Kudrow. She’s the goddess
yeah, she got ripped apart on gossip sites a few years ago when pap pics caught her without makeup. She looked fine, if a little tired (and I mean truly tired, not code for looks like shit), but people were ruthless.
Very true, although I have noticed it’s typically non-American tv shows/movies that are more forgiving about women who look their age, or aren’t necessarily beauty queens. Not snarking, just saying there’s such a wide variety in the way people look, and that’s appreciated in other forms of media, whereas too many stars here in the U.S. tend to be so similar (if they’re young, they’re stereotypical skinny blondes, likely with bolt-ons, and as they age they become overly filled, Botoxed-to-hell-and-back, cat faces that look like caricatures of normal human facial features). It’s almost startling to see a 40-something or 50-something who looks like someone of that age because I’m expecting a face like Courteney Cox’s or Brandi Glanville’s puffy monstrosities. Gotta wonder if they don’t realize how horrific and muppet-like they appear because every other woman around them is sporting the same features, to the point they all think it’s normal.
I absolutely agree with this. I can’t speak for all of tv obviously but I have watched a few British sitcoms and I’m always amazed at how NORMAL people look—and the variety they come in. Different heights, weights, skin tones and colors. It definitely makes it more noticeable when you come back to US television and see how generic most of Hollywood looks.
Or Christie Brinkley. I literally did not recognize her on some infomercial after she had her eyes done. She was so gorgeous, I would have liked to see what she would have looked like if she had the courage to age naturally. And I don’t even get why she didn’t? She has no movie or TV career at all, she’s just an ex- super model, so why not?
Some of it is when a celebrated beauty fades, the roles dry up, as there are many working women character actresses, in supporting roles, who work through all ages and stages. And certainly there are not enough female driven vehicles. Until they make more movies and shows by women, about women, things won’t change. And I don’t just mean pandering to the young, like HBO does pushing Lena Dunham on us.
Yay Helen Hunt!! I love that she learned to surf after age 40. I miss seeing her and hope the new movie does well.
Co-sign! She was awesome in As Good As It Gets — she is one of the only actresses I can think of that could take on some of Meryl Streep ones I’m sadly growing tired of seeing in absolutely every single movie for mature women
“The whole thing — there’s no Equal Rights Amendment. We’re f***ed.”
LOL, so we should amend the Constitution of the United States to get better roles for female actors in Hollywood productions?
Get a grip lady. There are entire swaths of the world where women are legally murdered by their own governments.
Love your comment. Women will never be equal until we realize that aggressive dominance is a genetic trait in the male gender of all species. If you want to swim with the sharks, don’t expect the government to demand that they eat tofu.
Oh, like when praying mantis kills the male after mating, it totally means he’s dominantly agressive? And isn’t what makes distinction between humans and animals is the fact that humans aren’t slaves to their impulses and genetic traits, capable of rising above them? Or do you excuse rape with:”oh, he’s a male, their genetic trait is to get horny and mate, he got horny, so he mated! Why punish him?”
This kind of thinking is really….I’ll be nice and say:outdated, IMO.
^THIS. I’m sick of whining. HH lives a charmed life thanks to her success in TV and movies. All this whining…
She isn’t talking about women in Hollywood specifically – she’s looking at the bigger picture. Yes, the Equal Rights Amendment may have targeted the rampant sexism in Hollywood, just like it may have targeted rampant sexism everywhere else.
I don’t believe that an amendment of that sort would be mollycoddling women — just the opposite. It would only acknowledge that men have had a head start in the public sphere for millennia and have constructed that sphere to suit their own needs. It would have forced male-dominated structures to be more inclusive as far as women are concerned. That is all it would have done.
So she should just accept that women in her field have it worse than men because women in other parts of the world have it even worse?
I agree. It’s preposterous to amend the Constitution for actresses. We should have the ERA for all women.
So by that logic, women in the US aren’t allowed to talk about equal rights while women in other countries are more oppressed?
It’s easy to forget, but how people are portrayed in the arts has an impact on society as a whole. It may feel frivolous to you, but I think it’s important how women are seen in media, as it’s our cultural touchstone.
Yes, Bridget, exactly. Representations of women on tv and film DO have an impact on real women. I’m not a big fan of the show NCIS for example, but I remember reading a couple of pieces about how Pauley Perrette’s character inspired a number of women to pursue careers and education in the sciences.
Women need good role models, and yes, while it isn’t ideal, girls often look to popular media for inspiration and it’s important they have something other than “nagging girlfriend”, “bride-to-be”, “sex-object” or “rape/murder victim” to look at.
The womeninotherplaceshaveitworsesostopcomplaining narrative has to stop. It’s part of the problem. And calling a woman “whining” for criticising inequality in her field of work sound like something anti-feminists say to delegitimise their (valid) point.
Bridget and Gretchen,
You both said what I came here to say. It may seem unimportant, but the way women are portrayed in the arts and pop culture does have an impact on little girls and young women. When I was a little girl, I used to wonder why only boys on TV had adventures, while girls were punished like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz if they left home. I’m not saying it ruined my life, but it did send a message to me that because I was a girl, I should not want to try for anything other than being a housewife. I’m not disparaging housewives, but I never thought I had another choice besides maybe secretary or flight attendant before my children were born.
And seriously, this argument that other women have it worse, so just accept what you have even though it isn’t fair? Really? That’s just another way of saying “your feelings are invalid – sit back down.” Ridiculous.
No, we should amend the Constitution because it seems some troglodytes are content to think that women are inherently “less than” men, that they deserve superficial roles movies, that in video games there are indeed horribly sexist tropes, that women’s naked or scantily clad bodies are used to sell merchandise in a way that men’s bodies are not, that their sole important contribution to society is in having children and staying home with them, and that paying women less in paid employed roles is okay to subtly encourage them to do just that, that many, many fields are still, STILL old boys’ clubs, that when a woman is raped and reports it she very well might not be believed and her clothing, state of intoxication and past sexual behavior have bearing on whether or not she was truly raped, that a woman’s reproductive future shouldn’t be under her control, oh, yes, and many, many of these backward beliefs are based in these same people’s interpretations of the Bible. An interpretation, by the way, that this liberal feminist SAHM Christian mother thinks is bunk.
Yes, there are women who undeniably have worse lives elsewhere in the world. Do you not remember when the U.S. used to be the shining beacon of Liberty, and even when we weren’t perfect, we were dang sure trying to get there? Now it’s, “well, it’s worse elsewhere, so just be content!”
FACT: There has never been a more awesome time to be a woman in the USA than right now. Women are living longer, healthier, more prosperous, more productive lives, with more choices, than ever before in recorded human history. They are a majority at the voting booth. They are a majority on college campuses.
To the extent women are “underpaid” when compared to me, that’s largely driven by the careers they willingly choose. If more women majored in robotics (like my daughter does), and more men majored in social work (like my son did), the disparity would even out. But guess what? I think it’s cool if lots of women go in to nursing, or teaching, or social work because they love it and find it fulfilling. What’s the line? “My body, my choice.” Make your choice!
With respect to Helen Hunt’s complaint — one can take to the airwaves, or one can take action. What’s stopping her from teaming up with some other women who have been extremely well-compensated in showbiz, and forming your own production company? You could develop scripts with all kinds of awesome roles for butt-kicking women! Lots of people would watch those movies and you’d make tons of money back on your investment!
But hey, keep harping on the ERA. It’s been a dud of an idea since the 1970s, but your day will come and then your problems will be solved!
Yeah, a stubbed toe is better than a burnt stick in the eye, so happily stub those toes and shut your little mouths.
The “underpaid” in quotes says it all.
“Driven by the careers they choose?” no asshole. IN THE SAME EXACT POSITIONS THEY ARE PAID LESS, PROVEN BY EMPIRICAL DATA.
Sit down you damn troll. I feel bad for your daughter.
Arthur, did you not catch the part where she’s promoting a movie that she both wrote and directed? So yes, she is actively working to improve the problem.
And I’ll be honest and say that I’m a little uncomfortable with a man saying that we as women shouldn’t be as concerned with our representation in media because American women have it so well. Perhaps it’s not your call to make.
Right, anon33
As if we care that a doctor makes more than a social worker. We care if a male doctor makes more than a female doctor with the exact same job.
She’s speaking in the context of how women are treated in media and Hollywood, not comparing the lack of roles to tragedy across the world. Considering the myriad of essays that suggest media portrayals do affect female self image and esteem, it’s ridiculous to suggest that it isn’t an issue. Degree of severity does not invalidate lesser concerns.
So you’re saying, because there is injustice elsewhere, we should accept .83 cents on the dollar (if we’re white) and cultural marginalization and objectification? You get a grip, mister. And my name is Bob but I’m a “lady.”
I also want you to appreciate what it is like to be a woman in this country. I cannot walk down the street at night, anywhere, without being afraid of being attacked and possibly raped and even murdered. When I was in high school, a female class mate was butchered, by a man, and her bits spread on the hills overlooking the city. You don’t need to point to other cultures where women are murdered, they’re being killed right here, right now. The status quo may work for you, and many other men, but it’s not working for women and it’s damn well going to change whether you like it or not.
Unfortunately it’s all about the $..summer blockbusters and special effect laden big budget films are all aimed at a young male audience, and despite the good roles for women in indies, money follows money.
How would they even know, though? How many women-oriented big blockbusters have they even tried? Because it seems every time there’s an enormously successful women-oriented film, the studio honchos go, huh, that made a plucked ton of money. Back to the boys!
There are better roles for women on TV now, IMO.
I can’t remember the last movie I saw in a theater; they just don’t interest me. But I have lots of TV series–with great parts for women–that I love.
Me too. Movies have become sleek sausage.
I think women will watch a movie where the man is the lead, but men are rarely interested in a female lead. Anecdotally of course. Thats why Black Widow doesn’t get a movie because it’s probably not as marketable. I’m sure some marketing person did an analysis on that. There are exceptions like Tomb Raider but they are rare.
It’s the same with music, books, etc. Men seem to prefer male vocalists and video game protagonists.
That’s pretty faulty logic, when you consider that there are several factors at play – women led movies are almost overwhelmingly romatic comedies, a genre that isnt even marketed toward men, or weepy dramas (which again, not marketed toward men). There’s such a small sample of female superhero movies and they are of such poor quality that we can’t draw a particularly good conclusion, as neither men nor women went to see them. And its not a coincidence that a similar argument is made about hiring a non-white superhero – it’s simply an excuse for stasis.
Twister is my movie spirit animal. I love her.
Twister is my guilty pleasure. I watch it often, and over the years I’m increasingly aware of how “normal” she is compared to what summer Blockbuster imps look like now. She was a 30 something woman wearing about a size 8, showing no cleavage. She was always very beautiful with an enviable figure, but in an every woman kinda way. As it should be.
Do you think she was an 8 US? She struck me as smaller than that. She’s always seemed on the wiry side to me.
It’s hard to tell on film and khakies add a little padding, but I think a US 8. She’s tall and well proportioned. And remember a size 8 twenty years ago is a size 6 now. She looks great either way.
She makes a good point – while roles for women over 40 are desperately limited, decent roles for women in general are in really short supply. Saorise Ronan was interviewed yesterday in an Irish paper, and she said that she has been struggling to find decent roles since she turned 20 and became too old to play the teenage daughter.
Evan Rachel Wood said the same thing recently, that as a young woman in Hollywood most of the roles are sexualized or there to serve the leading men.
She took pretty good roles in the aftermath. (Cast Away–critical and box office hit, What Women Want–box office hit, Pay it Forward–award baity but didn’t pan out) . I think she just didn’t have the charisma to be a big movie star or carry a film. I always thought she shined more on tv. Loved Quarterback Princess back in the day.
I look at actresses like Michelle Williams and Marion Cotillard as examples of how that’s not completely true. I actually feel that minor roles in hollywood are the problem, because unless you are the main female character in a film, other female characters twill be one dimensioned and stereotyped. And look at the characters played by Tilda Swinton whose looks could work against her because she looks so different. But in all these three cases they all do REALLY independent films where hollywood doesn’t dictate or shapes what’s considered profitable or interesting. There’s a way, but you won’t get rich or mega famous while following this route.
Yeah, I think there is always going to be a place for talent, regardless of age or form. And the movie industry seems to be either over the top blockbuster or niche Indy now. All the blockbusters cast “eye candy.”
She makes a lot of sense, but Helen was never known as the nicest person set, she has burnt a lot of career bridges in her life, that may also be a reason she isn’t getting good or long term jobs.
Then She Found Me was a wonderful film. (Directed by and starring Helen Hunt.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Then_She_Found_Me